


All because of a shopping list

by ShinMeiko



Series: What if multiverse [7]
Category: Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinMeiko/pseuds/ShinMeiko
Summary: For Bram's birthday, he found Jacques, he kissed Simon, he got the best of both worlds. Now what?Sequel to 'Chapter 16 - What if a shopping list was involved?' in my 'what if' series.
Relationships: Bram Greenfeld/Simon Spier
Series: What if multiverse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1373731
Comments: 20
Kudos: 71





	All because of a shopping list

**Author's Note:**

> It was fun to actually do a sequel live. Somehow, it was less stressful than doing a What-if. The stakes were lower :)
> 
> And now we know that going full random doesn't work!
> 
> Oh, and sorry for those who got the wrong description (again). I shouldn't post after midnight ;)

It’s a bit hard to focus. Everything seems just a bit… unreal. There might be the fact that the room is almost entirely dark, it might be the flickering lights of the candles, all with a different color, it might be being the center of the attention, it might be the loud ‘Happy birthday’ singing in my ears… or it might be kissing Simon a few seconds ago.

Yes, it might just be that one…

And Simon is still there, across the table, looking at me with this soft, secret smile. We are, after all, sharing a secret, just the two of us. We are actually sharing a lot of secrets, but… this new one seems so much bigger and so much softer than any other ones before.

I want to tell everyone.

I want to tell no one.

I want to sit in a quiet room, alone, and daydream about it.

But the song is ending and everyone is waiting for me to do something. No. Not just ‘something’. They want me to blow the candles. But I don’t really want to. Simon chose them for me and they look beautiful, with their mesmerizing flames. Especially the blue one. Blue didn’t use to be my favorite color, but now it always reminds me of my alias and, by extension, Simon. I’d like to stare at that blue flame a bit longer. How do they even manage to get a blue flame like that?

But it is also socially expected of me to blow the candles, so I do. Plus, Leah made that cake just for me, and I don’t want to ruin it by letting the wax drop on it.

I can always keep the candles and light them again later.

“Did you make a wish?” Garrett asks me.

“No,” I reply. Why would I do that? I already have everything I could have wished for.

“You don’t know how to seize an opportunity, do you?”

I just smile at him. I don’t know about that. Five minutes ago, I was definitely seizing the best opportunity ever handed out to me.

Cutting the cake is absolute chaos. Everyone wants a slice and I don’t think there will be enough for everyone.

Nick suggests that I rank all the guests in order from my favorite to my least favorite – which I wouldn’t do because it’s mean – Abby suggests that we draft who is getting a slice, and there is a quiet silence when Garrett just suggest that we divide each slice in half.

“Garrett…” Leah starts quietly and she actually sounds scary, “you don’t understand how birthday cakes work, do you?”

“I… guess I don’t?”

“You need to get a bit of everything. Bottom layer, filling, top layer, top icing, _and_ side icing. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

“To be a nice person and have shared with everyone?”

“That wouldn’t have happened if you had limited the guest list like we discussed.”

“This _is_ a limited guest list.”

I let them argue a while longer. I don’t really care who gets cake. I don’t even care if I get a slice. I am looking at Simon and he is staring back at me. The lights are back on, so I can see the shade of his moon-grey eyes perfectly, and that’s enough to silence the entire room.

Who wants cake when they can have a boyfriend?

Although… are we even boyfriends? I am slightly nervous now… we have not discussed any of this before. From the emails, I think he wants us to be boyfriends, and we did just kiss, but… maybe I’ve read things wrong…

Garrett is right. I should have wished for something. I should have wished for Simon to be more than my online… whatever we were.

Suddenly, I really want to drag him back to that tiny room and ask him about it.

Simon seems to have noticed my change in emotions because I can read a question in his eyes.

“Bram? What do you think?”

“What?”

“Do we draft who gets cake, or do we do smaller slices?”

“Let’s get everyone some cake. And it’s not rocket science, Garrett, give me that knife. Everyone can get cake _with_ everything on it, if you divide the slices that way.”

Yeah, because their argument was fun to watch, but really didn’t need to exist in the first place.

Abby insists that as the birthday boy, it is the tradition for me to be the one giving out the cake slices. I have no idea where she got that tradition from, but then again, I have never really been interested in birthdays before, so I wouldn’t know.

When it is Simon’s turn to get a slice, he stands right next to me, and his hand brushes against mine. It is so obviously done on purpose, but I also don’t think anyone noticed.

It electrifies my entire skin. Partly the secret, partly Simon. Mostly Simon. I wish everyone was gone now. Even if it’s selfish and ungrateful.

I am sitting on the couch with Garrett when Abby joins us, sitting on the coffee table. She has a smile I don’t understand, nor like.

“Hey, Garrett? Max is looking for you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she replies. “He’s in the kitchen.”

Garrett leaves the two of us alone to go find Max who is probably neither looking for him, nor even in the kitchen.

“So?” she asks, her smile getting wider, and almost predatory.

“So what?”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Tell you about what?”

“That thing Simon doesn’t want to tell me about.”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about.” And it’s not entirely true, but it’s a bit true.

“Really? So you two have not been staring at each other dreamily for at least half an hour?”

“We… what?” I don’t know Abby that well, so I don’t know how observant she usually is. So I don’t know if _she_ just noticed it or if _we_ have been very obvious.

“Fine. Don’t tell me. But you’re staring, he’s staring, you’re smiling, he’s smiling, and it’s very cute. But I also get that it’s none of my business. Just saying. Super cute.” And she hops away, leaving me there a bit confused.

Garrett comes back less than a minute later. “Did you find Max?” I ask to not be the center of attention, in case my confusion reads on my face.

“No. And do you know why? He isn’t even at the party.”

“Oh.”

“So what did Abby want?”

“What do you mean?”

“She obviously sent me away to talk to you alone.” Yes, her way of sending him away was only half-smooth, I guess. “Can I ask why? Or is it classified?”

The answer is probably somewhere in between. “Garrett, I… I did it.”

“Did what?”

“Found someone to fool around with… like you said I should…” My voice isn’t as confident as it should be. It’s just that… if Abby knows, then Garrett should know too, right?

His mouth falls open, but he is also smiling at the same time and he globally looks like a child opening a Christmas present. “I beg your pardon, you did what?”

“It’s… I might have kissed someone tonight.”

His smile got bigger. “Really? A boy, right?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes. A boy.”

“Was that your first kiss?”

The only reason I answer that is because there is no judgment or odd curiosity in Garrett’s voice. “It was.”

“And was it everything you dreamt it would be?”

“Maybe…” Definitely. And maybe a bit more.

“So… On a scale from zero to Spier, how great is the guy? Is it someone I know? Would I be surprised?”

“You wouldn’t be surprised?”

“Are you sure? Because pretty much anyone would surprise me.”

“No. Not anyone.”

I can see in Garrett’s eyes the moment he understands what I mean. “Really? You and Simon?”

“Yeah, it’s… very new, and not really public, and…” My face is heating up. Hopefully, the soft lighting and my complexion will hide that.

“Don’t worry. My middle name is discreet.”

“It’s really not.”

“Maybe not. But definitely for you!”

It’s weird. Telling Garrett. It gives the situation a sense of reality it didn’t have before. Simon and I kissed on my birthday. It made us happy enough that Abby noticed. It made me confident enough to tell Garrett.

I don’t know if I am over the moon or terrified by this realization.

I come across Simon in the corridor as I am coming back from the bathroom – sexy, right?

His face lights up when he sees me, and we stop a few steps from each other.

“Hi,” he whispers.

“Hi,” I reply in the same tone. And then, just silence. I thought things would be easier from now on, after the emails, the reveal, the kiss, but… things are still just a little awkward. Or maybe it’s just me.

“How was the cake?” Simon asks and I think he is just trying to fill the silence.

“Great. But it’s a Leah cake, so it was a given.”

He chuckles softly and it is the cutest sound. “True. Make sure to tell her that.”

“I will.”

“So are you enjoying your birthday party?”

“Some parts more than others.”

“Oh? Which ones?”

He is so obviously fishing for it, but I am happy to deliver anyway: “Going shopping, and hitting midnight.”

“Because it was finally your actual birthday?”

“No, not for that.”

“And did you tell Garrett the truth?”

“About us?” How does he know that I talked to Garrett about us?

Simon frowns. “No… I mean, sure, I’d like to know that, but I meant about making a wish. Oh, by the way, Abby keeps asking me why I keep smiling when I look at you and I am running out of ways to fob her off.”

“You can tell Abby, I don’t mind. If you want.”

“It’s just that… I’m not really out, you’re not really out…”

Oh… did he not want me to tell anyone about us? Did I just out Simon to Garrett without his consent? Not that Garrett will tell anyone, but still…

“Simon, I… I told Garrett,” I confess nervously.

“Told Garrett what?”

“About us.”

Simon’s eyebrows jerk up from the surprise. “Oh. And what did you say?”

“Not much… You know how he said that I should come after you at the party, and that didn’t really happen, but that sort of happened as well, and… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What for?”

“Telling Garrett without asking you first.”

“You don’t need to ask me before talking to your best friend. Besides…” Simon bites his lower lip nervously before carrying on. “I think I want a boyfriend who is proud of being with me and wants to tell people.”

 _Boyfriend_. He said it. “Boyfriend?”

He bites his lip again and I sort of want to be the one biting it.

“Yeah… if you want… we don’t have to, we can take it slow.”

 _Take it slow_. That might be the wisest thing. You can’t just jump from online friends to a real relationship just like that, can you?

But then again… it’s not really what I want to do.

“To answer your previous question,” I tell him, “I didn’t make a wish. Because up until yesterday, the only thing I could have wished for was Jacques, and… I had just found him.”

Simon’s smile is back and his nervousness seems to have faded away.

“Yeah. That would have been a waste of a wish.”

“But I could have wished for Simon Spier to be my boyfriend.”

“That would have been another wasted wish.”

“Maybe I should have wished for a more tolerant society, the end of global warming, or a way to defeat world hunger, then.”

“Yes. Those would have been good wishes.”

“Maybe next year.”

“Maybe next year.”

And we are silent again. We are both facing each other, leaning back on opposite walls, softly smiling. I don’t mind the silence anymore. We didn’t really say it out loud, but we just agreed to be boyfriends, right? This definitely is the best birthday ever. Why did I ever doubt Garrett when he suggested throwing this party?

Then Simon stands straight, steps forward, and I just have time to feel my stomach clench before Simon is kissing me again.

It’s different from the kiss we shared earlier. This isn’t as tentative. This isn’t as sweet either. It’s more… like getting something you want. It’s a bit hotter, too, but that might just come from Simon pinning me against the wall…

I really want to slide my fingers under his t-shirt. Not much. Just to _feel his skin_ under my palms. I could touch his arms, sure, but… it’s not the same…

“Guys?”

We both jump and turn around. A few steps away is Leah and she looks annoyed.

“Some people – and by that, I mean me – need to use this corridor to go to the bathroom. Could you please get a room or something?”

“Yes, sorry, we will,” I stammer. “I mean, we won’t, but we’ll move. Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize,” Simon says gently. “That was Leah’s nice way of saying that she is happy we are a thing, right Leah?”

“No, that was Leah’s nice way to tell you that the needs to pee,” she replies. “I mean I’m also glad that you’re a thing or whatever, but I’ll be gladder about it with an empty bladder.”

Simon steps out of the way to let her go.

She turns around before entering the bathroom and says: “But, hum… once I’m done, we’ll have to talk about you being gay and scoring Bram, because if anyone had told me, I wouldn’t have believed it.” And she disappears in the bathroom.

Simon looks at me with amused eyes. “Isn’t she the best drama queen you’ve ever met?”

“I don’t know. I spend a lot of time with Garrett.”

Simon laughs. “Fair enough, I guess.” His eyes get all serious. “So… that was Leah and that’s fine, but… it could have been anyone. Should we… be a bit more discreet?”

“Or we could tell people,” I suggest. “If you want…”

“I told you. I want a boyfriend who is proud of being with me and wants to tell people.”

“I very much want to tell people.”

“That means coming out.”

“Yes, I did connect the dots.”

“No, I know, but… are you ready for that?”

“I don’t know. But for the first time, I’m not afraid of it. That’s close enough, don’t you think?”

When we get back to the living room, Nick and Garrett are in the middle of a passionate debate about our upcoming game against our Nemesis team.

“Ah, Bram!” Garrett says when he sees me. “What is more important against AHS? Defense or attack?”

“Both,” I reply. “They’re too good for us to focus on just one.”

“You can’t _not_ choose. That’s not how debate works.”

I shrug and Nick looks at Simon. “I know that it’s probably a lost question on you, but… which one?”

Simon looks at me. “What are you?”

“Center back.”

“That’s defense, right?”

“Right.”

“Then defense.”

“Hey! I’m striker and I’m your best friend,” Nick says.

“Yes, but boyfriends have priority over best friends,” Simon replies casually, as if he was mentioning his favorite school subject.

Nick’s mouth falls slightly open but, unlike Garrett earlier, he is not smiling, which gets me nervous.

For a reason I don’t really get, he turns to Abby. “Did you know about this?”

“I did.”

“Since when?”

She shrugs. “An hour?”

Nick looks at Garrett. “Did you know?”

“Yep.”

“How long?”

“An hour?”

Then Nick looks at Simon. “Does Leah know?”

“Yes.”

“An hour?”

“No, like… five minutes.”

“So Bram is your boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“You’re gay?”

“Yes.”

“With Bram?”

“Yes.”

This conversation is almost offensive, but it’s apparently what Nick needs to process this new information.

“As in… of all the boys available, Bram chose you?”

“Yes,” Simon says, starting to sound a bit annoyed.

“And you chose him?”

“Yes, Nick. That’s what I meant when I implied that Bram was my boyfriend.”

“But you never even talked to each other.”

Okay. He has a point. Garrett knew that I had a crush on Simon, Abby would find any new relationship cute, and Leah was probably a bit sidetracked by walking in on us. But Nick looks at it with the vision of someone who isn’t particularly romantic and doesn’t know of any crush or online relationship. In his eyes, we just jumped from barely-lunch-buddies to boyfriends in one evening. And that would be weird.

“No, we did,” Simon vaguely replies. “You must not have paid attention, that’s all.”

Nick looks at me. “You do know that if you break Simon’s heart…”

“You’ll break my face?” I ask.

“No. Leah will set your car on fire.”

Oh. Yeah, I totally believe she would.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I don’t plan on doing that.”

“Yeah, well. Check your insurance anyway.”

I look at Simon and I smile. Four out four. Our friends know. The other people here don’t matter. Not in the same way. So I slide my hand in his and he gently squeezes it.

I can’t believe it. Jacques. Simon. First kiss. Coming out. Best birthday ever.

All thanks to a shopping list.


End file.
